EAMON O’Carroll knows his Bulls side are big underdogs going into tomorrow night’s Betfred Championship opener against title favourites Wakefield Trinity, but he insists that does not mean there is only pressure on the hosts.

Daryl Powell’s Trinity are widely expected to run away with the division, and the signing of Leeds winger Derrell Olpherts on the eve of the season only adds to the view of many, that they are a full-time Super League outfit in Championship clothing.

But asked if tomorrow night represented something of a free hit for his Bradford side, O’Carroll insisted: “It’s a game we’re really looking forward to, even if we know it’s going to be a difficult night with the level of competition Wakefield provide.

“But I don’t believe all the pressure is on them.

“Yes, they’ll want to respond to their Challenge Cup defeat to Featherstone on Sunday, but we’ve got our own internal pressures and standards.

“We want to improve from where we’ve been at too, but this is good pressure, and pressure we have to be excited by.

“Friday night’s going to be a good challenge for us in front of a sell-out crowd, but we’re not going to get too carried away by that, and instead only focus on our own game and areas we can excel in.”

It is a while since Bulls have encountered the situation that will confront them tomorrow night, facing a full-time side, while most of the visiting squad will have spent a day at work before playing.

O’Carroll said: “I have so much respect for my players over that.

“I never played in the Championship, so it’s not something I’ve ever experienced having to do personally.

“It will be a tough challenge for the lads, but none of them have even referenced it, nor are any of them wanting to use it as an excuse.

“There’ll be challenges ahead throughout the season and with this particular one, we’ve known about the scheduling of this game for a long time, so it’s not like we’re unprepared for it being on a Friday night.”

Both sides have had contrasting preparations for this Championship opener, with Bulls coming off the back of a free weekend after being dumped out of the Challenge Cup in the fourth round last month.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Back-row duo Chester Butler and Keven Appo were unable to inspire Bulls to victory in that poor cup defeat to Widnes at the end of February.Back-row duo Chester Butler and Keven Appo were unable to inspire Bulls to victory in that poor cup defeat to Widnes at the end of February. (Image: Tom Pearson)

Wakefield made it to last weekend’s fifth round, but were dumped out by Featherstone, losing 14-10 in Golden Point extra-time on a quagmire of a pitch at Post Office Road.

But it did give Trinity valuable game time against quality opposition, so who benefitted most from last weekend?

O’Carroll said: “We go into the game under different circumstances anyway, because with Wakefield being a full-time side, they can recover fully over that five-day period and they’ll obviously want to respond with that Featherstone game being their first defeat of the season.

“We obviously wanted to be in the cup but with the free weekend, we were able to give the players some time off and we also got some important work done.

“We’ve played most weekends since Christmas Eve and we’ve not got the biggest squad, especially at the moment with injuries and suspensions, so it was good to have some time off.

“The lads were already in good shape having got plenty of games under their belts, so that’s a real positive.”